With the seemingly absurd phrase "I can hear better with my knees than with my calves," Bernhard Leitner describes an interest he still maintains today with uninterrupted passion and rigor: the study of the relationship between sound, space, and matter. Since the late 1960s, Leitner has been working at the intersection of architecture, sculpture and music, viewing sounds as constructive material. In his perspective, sounds move at various speeds in a space, rise and fall, resonate back and forth, and bridge dynamic, ever-changing spatial bodies within the static boundaries of the architectural framework. For this reason, the space and acoustic effect of the sound is of great importance.
Figure 1. large tuba, 2008
Bernhard Leitner has a vision that defines the unique spaces created by sounds. These areas, which cannot be fixed visually and cannot be monitored from the outside, are audible areas that can be felt with the whole body. According to Leitner, acoustic perception does not only occur through the ears, but also includes the experience of "bodily" hearing, in which each part of the body can hear in different ways.
Over the years, Bernhard Leitner has created distinctive artistic works by combining sounds, space and objects, focusing on how sound transforms into an experience in space. His works offer extraordinary artistic experiences where people can interact with sound, stimulating the senses and making them think.
Leitner's work reinforces the idea that sound is not just a sensation, but also a being that takes shape in a space. His works emphasize that space is not only a visual but also an auditory experience, expanding people's senses and enabling them to interact with space in a new way.
Figure 2 sound cube,1970
As a result, Bernhard Leitner, with his passion for many years, brought together sounds, space and objects to create his own unique artistic works. His works invite into a world where people can interact with sound and where the auditory experience of space is equally important to visual perception. Leitner's work offers a thought-provoking and impressive perspective on how sound is shaped in space, pointing to the importance of sound insulation and acoustic performance in their experiential counterpart.
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